Turn back the pages — Oct. 5, 1974
Compiled by Julie Rosier
Dry Again — It almost seems anti-climactic. All the friendly (and unfriendly) debates are over, the bumper stickers already look years old, and there’s a certain air of calm finality in the crisp October air. Bethel will not be selling booze this year. In Tuesday’s election, residents voted overwhelmingly, over 2 to 1 to be exact, to defeat the ordinance allowing for the sale of intoxicating liquors. The final total on the wet-dry issue was 548 to prohibit the sale of liquor and 216 to allow the sale of liquor. The margin of 332 votes was a considerably larger mandate than last October when the “no” voters won by only 32 votes and was the largest margin in the city’s history of wet-dry voting. The election was, in the words of City Manager Andy Edge, “an outstanding display of votes by the people of Bethel.” The day before the election, he told KYUK that he would be very pleased to see at least 800 votes cast — Bethel voters did him one better and showed up at the polls 827 strong. In the races for city council seat, Eddie Hoffman and Sarge Connick were “shoe-ins” in the words of the City Manager. Hoffman was re-elected to Seat 4 and Connick retained Seat 2.
B.B.I. Blues — For a few years, Bethel Broadcasting Inc., (KYUK) has been the recipient of a goodly amount of construction and installation grants from various sources, mostly governmental. Now, with both radio and television fully operational, the newness of creating an effective media in the tundra region has faded. KYUK now finds itself at the mercy of funding agencies, that have been working with drastically reduced budgets the past two years. Being a Public Service-Educational media, KYUK is not permitted to sell advertising to raise funds and maintain an adequate income as commercial stations in most cities do. KYUK finds that the current funding for the fiscal year 1974-75 is falling far short of meeting the increasing needs of a growing station in a growing bush area. For that reason, KYUK finds it necessary, at one of its most promising times, to cut the station employee roll to a bare minimum, so that it may remain on the air and continue service to the community of Bethel and surrounding villages. This cut in personnel will not mean a cut in air hours for radio and television. What it does mean is that KYUK will no longer have the staff to answer phones, take messages, to cover and investigate local and state news happenings, and will not be able to carry out plans already underway for locally produced programming.
Artists! — Judith Sample will arrive in Bethel on Oct. 9 to teach Dance Movement to Bethel Primary and Middle School students. Mrs. Sample is the first in a series of five artists or groups of artists which will spend from two weeks to two months per group, working with Bethel students. Mrs. Sample will emphasise the development of freedom of movement and non-verbal expression with students. John Brebner and Phillip Sheridan, San Francisco Bay area actors, producers and specialists in educational theater will make their appearance in Bethel on Oct. 19 and will be in residence in Bethel for 1 month. During that time they will be doing in-school creative drama programs which are simple, direct and participatory theatre experiences for children. Whenever possible, they will work right in the classroom and involve as many of the students as possible. They will also be available for work with high school students and are capable of presenting at least four two-man shows suitable for presentation over KYUK, various clubs and organizations within the community. Film artist, Gordon Smith, will be in Bethel for one month in January and will return for another month in March. During his stay in Bethel he will involve Bethel middle school students in a study of photography, filmmaking, film animation and film appreciation, and will help them to produce 8mm film, video tapes and 35mm slide film presentations.
PAC-HA-PA — Last Tuesday and Wednesday, the Planning and Advisory Committee for Health Aide Programs in Alaska, known familiarly as “PAC-HA-PA,” held its fourth quarterly meeting in Bethel. Last September this committee grew out of a group of health aide educators meeting in Anchorage, who worked together and shared ideas and methods, health aide training throughout the state would be considerably improved. At the core of PAC-HA-PA are the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation, the Norton Sound Health Corporation, the Community Heath Aide Program of the Indian Health Service, and the Section of Nursing of the State of Alaska Health and Social Services. Since last year, they have been joined by representative from the universities, from other health corporations and from members of a PHS. The Alaska Federation of Natives now has permanent representation. From being a small group of interested and concerned teachers, PAC-HA-PA has developed into a statewide forum where all those who are involved with community health aide training (including the health aides themselves) can exchange views, thrash out controversial issues and recommend courses of action.
Notes from Chefornak — It’s blueberry time in Nelson Island and families from Chefornak have been going over there for two or three days at a time to pick gallons of them. It’s about a 4-hour trip each way, on a nice day. The men have had some success hunting mukluk seal at the mouth of the river. Young Jimmy Joseph Jimmy went on his first seal hunt Sept. 21 and they shot one mukluk. James Wassali shot three on one trip a week earlier. The pump in the village well has been broken since last November. People get their water from rain barrels or carry if from the BIA well. A new pump for the village was just ordered from Sears. A dentist from Anchorage and two dental hygienists spent two weeks here in September. They cleaned every schoolchild’s teeth, and did repair work where needed. The X-ray technician came, too, and the PHS doctor spent five days holding annual clinics.